Latest news with #Fusarium
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Business Standard
16 hours ago
- Business Standard
FBI arrests 3rd Chinese national in US for smuggling biological materials
A third Chinese national has been arrested in connection with a widening investigation into the unauthorised smuggling of biological materials into the United States, FBI Director Kash Patel said on Tuesday. In a post on X, Patel confirmed that Chengxuan Han, a PhD student from Wuhan, China, was detained by agents from the FBI Detroit at Detroit Metropolitan Airport on June 8. Han stands accused of sending four packages containing biological materials related to roundworms to individuals affiliated with a laboratory at the University of Michigan. Han allegedly made false statements to federal officers about the packages and had erased her electronic device shortly before arriving in the US. In a subsequent interview with agents from the FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI), she admitted to both sending the shipments and lying about their contents. 'She is the third PRC-connected individual charged on similar allegations in recent days,' Patel said, framing the arrest as part of a broader national security crackdown on covert biological research linked to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). 'The CCP is working relentlessly to undermine America's research institutions,' he said. Prior FBI arrests and agroterrorism concerns This arrest follows the recent detention of two other Chinese nationals, Yunqing Jian, a Chinese researcher formerly employed at the University of Michigan, and her partner Zunyong Liu, a researcher at a Chinese institution. The pair has been charged with smuggling a dangerous agricultural pathogen, Fusarium graminearum, into the US without authorisation. Investigators allege that Jian brought the fungus into the country covertly, continued her research in violation of US biosecurity protocols, and had previously received funding from the Chinese government. Liu is accused of helping smuggle the pathogen through Detroit airport and initially denying involvement before ultimately admitting to the charges. The University of Michigan has stated that it had no knowledge of the unauthorised shipments and is cooperating fully with federal authorities in their ongoing investigations. Is the 'smuggled' fungus dangerous? The fungus, which causes Fusarium head blight, poses a significant threat to cereal crops and can produce toxins harmful to humans and livestock. While federal prosecutors have labelled the case as an example of 'agroterrorism', some experts argue that the fungus is already present in the US and is manageable through existing agricultural practices. US crackdown on Chinese student visa The series of arrests comes amid heightened scrutiny of Chinese nationals engaged in research within the US, particularly in sensitive sectors such as biotechnology, artificial intelligence, and aerospace. The US government has announced stricter visa regulations for students and researchers from China and Hong Kong.
Mint
3 days ago
- Health
- Mint
America's expert on China says fungus smuggling case ‘worse than Covid', urges US govt to ‘sever relations'
Days after two Chinese researchers were charged with smuggling a crop-killing fungus into the United States, America's top expert on China warned that if the country is not careful, it could be 'something worse' than COVID-19. He also suggested that the US government should sever relations with China. Yunqing Jian and Zunyong Liu were charged with conspiracy, smuggling, making false statements and visa fraud for allegedly bringing the fungus Fusarium graminearum into the US, describing it as a potential agricultural terrorism weapon. The fungus causes Fusarium head blight, usually known as 'scab,' and often infects wheat, barley and other grains on farms during rainy years. According to the FBI, Liu had small baggies of the fungus stashed in his backpack when he flew to the US last year. After claiming ignorance about the plant material inside them, he said he was planning to use them for research at a University of Michigan lab where Jian worked. Also Read | Fusarium graminearum: How this crop fungus can impact your health 'Waging war against US': Expert Commenting on the case, expert Gordon G Chang told Fox News that the couple's actions were akin to waging war against the United States. Chang, who has lived and worked in China for two decades as Counsel to the American law firm Paul Weiss, warned that unless the US takes strong measures—such as severing ties with China—it could face threats even more severe than Covid. The origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which sparked the global COVID-19 pandemic, remains highly controversial, with some experts alleging it may have been engineered in a Chinese laboratory. Calling it an 'attack on the United States,' Chang said, 'Xi Jinping talks about going to war all the time, and he is mobilising all of Chinese society to go to war.' 'So we can lose our country, even though we are the far stronger nation because we are not defending ourselves with the vigour and the determination that is necessary,' he added. He suggested that the only way to stop this is to sever relations with China. 'I know people think that's drastic, but we are being overwhelmed. We are going to get hit eventually. We are going to get hit really hard, not just with Covid, not just with fentanyl, but perhaps with something worse,' the expert said. However, agriculture experts interviewed by Reuters said the fungus has been in the US for more than a century, can be prevented by spraying pesticides, and is only dangerous if ingested regularly and in large quantities. 'As a weapon, it would be a pretty ineffective one,' Jessica Rutkoski, a crop sciences professor, wheat breeder and geneticist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, told Reuters.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Experts doubt FBI's claim that crop fungus smuggled by Chinese students is a threat
By Heather Schlitz CHICAGO (Reuters) -A biological sample that a Chinese researcher was accused of smuggling into the United States and that prosecutors cast as a "dangerous biological pathogen" is a common type of fungus already widespread in U.S. crop fields that likely poses little risk to food safety, experts said. On Tuesday, U.S. federal prosecutors accused two Chinese researchers of smuggling samples of the fungus Fusarium graminearum into the U.S., describing it as a potential agricultural terrorism weapon. Yunqing Jian, 33, a researcher at the University of Michigan's Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology has been charged in connection with allegations that she helped her boyfriend, Zunyong Liu, 34, smuggle the pathogen into the U.S. However, agriculture experts interviewed by Reuters this week said the fungus has been in the U.S. for more than a century, can be prevented by spraying pesticides, and is only dangerous if ingested regularly and in large quantities. "As a weapon, it would be a pretty ineffective one," said Jessica Rutkoski, a crop sciences professor, wheat breeder and geneticist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Rutkoski and other researchers said extensive testing for the fungus' toxin, widespread use of fungicides and the difficulty of intentionally creating an infection with the pathogen would make it a clumsy weapon. The U.S. Attorney's Office and the FBI declined Reuters' request for comment. Since the 1900s, U.S. farmers have been battling the fungus, which causes Fusarium head blight, usually known as "scab," which often infects wheat, barley and other grains on farms during rainy years. The telltale pink streaks on the grain heads contain a toxic byproduct called vomitoxin, which is tested for and tightly controlled by grain elevators where farmers sell their crops. Constant testing and monitoring means that only negligible amounts of vomitoxin ever make it into the bread, pasta and cookies Americans eat, far below levels that would sicken a human, experts said. "We have a long history of managing epidemics of scab," said Andrew Friskop, professor and plant pathologist at North Dakota State University, noting that farmers have access to many tools to prevent and control the disease. Farmers began regularly spraying their fields with fungicide as early as the 1990s, and researchers have since developed multiple strains of fungus-resistant wheat. Plant experts said that it would be difficult to fully assess the risks posed by the samples without more information on the particular strain. But Rutkoski, whose research involves intentionally contaminating wheat with the fungus, said that she isn't always successful at infecting her test field's wheat with scab. She said the pathogen is difficult to control, and her lab has to strike the right balance of temperature and humidity to create an infection. In federal court in Detroit on Tuesday, Jian was charged with conspiracy to commit offense or to defraud the U.S., smuggling goods into the U.S., false statements and visa fraud. Jian did not comment on the charges, and the lawyer who represented her in court was not immediately available for comment. Liu could not be immediately reached for comment. The court scheduled Jian's bail hearing for June 13.
9 News
5 days ago
- 9 News
Chinese researchers charged with smuggling 'dangerous biological pathogen' into US
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here Two Chinese researchers have been charged with smuggling a biological pathogen that they planned to study at a US university lab last year. Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, were charged with conspiracy to commit offence or to defraud the US, smuggling goods into the country, false statements and visa fraud for bringing in the fungus Fusarium graminearum from China, according to the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan. "The Department of Justice has no higher mission than keeping the American people safe and protecting our nation from hostile foreign actors who would do us harm," Attorney General Pam Bondi said. Yunqing Jian, one of two Chinese researchers charged with smuggling a biological pathogen into the US. (Sanilac County Sheriff's Office via CNN) (CNN) Fusarium graminearum is described as "a potential agroterrorism weapon" that can cause disease in certain plants like wheat, corn, rice and barley, and is "responsible for billions of dollars in economic loss worldwide each year," an FBI affidavit in support of the complaint says. "The toxins produced by Fusarium graminearum cause vomiting, liver damage, and reproductive defects in livestock and humans," the complaint states. The 25-page criminal complaint does not allege that the defendants – who investigators say were in a relationship – had any plans to spread the fungus beyond the University of Michigan laboratory. But it says Liu was aware of the restrictions on the material and deliberately hid it in a wad of tissues in his backpack. Donell Harvin, former chief of homeland security for the District of Columbia, told CNN that a pathogen such as Fusarium is extremely dangerous. "It doesn't matter whether the person had good intentions," he said. "If there's some type of mistake, or mishap, or release, that could have catastrophic consequences." US Attorney General Pam Bondi. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) (AP) The charges come as the Trump administration is looking to revoke visas for Chinese students, especially those with alleged "connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week. FBI Director Kash Patel said in a post on X that the case is "a sobering reminder that the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) is working around the clock to deploy operatives and researchers to infiltrate American institutions and target our food supply, which would have grave consequences." The affidavit doesn't specify what Jian and Liu's intentions were in studying the fungus. Jian, who was arrested by the FBI, remains in custody. On Thursday, her detention hearing was adjourned until next week to allow time for a new defence lawyer to get up to speed. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said during a news conference on Wednesday that he wasn't familiar with the case, but said the government "always asks Chinese nationals overseas to strictly observe local laws and regulations, and protects their legitimate and lawful rights and interests in accordance with the law." Smuggling China USA science crime CONTACT US Auto news:Is this the next Subaru WRX? Mysterious performance car teased.
Mint
5 days ago
- Health
- Mint
Fusarium graminearum: How this crop fungus can impact your health
The recent arrest of Chinese researchers for illegally smuggling Fusarium graminearum, a dangerous crop-killing fungus, into the United States has brought renewed focus on the risks this pathogen poses—not only to agriculture but also to human and animal health. The case highlights fears that unauthorised import and research on such fungi could be part of a larger threat to America's food security and public safety, raising alarms amid tense US-China relations. Fusarium graminearum is a fungal pathogen responsible for Fusarium head blight, a devastating disease affecting major cereal crops like wheat, barley, maize, and rice. While its direct impact on crops results in massive agricultural losses—estimated at over $1 billion annually in the US alone—the fungus also produces harmful toxins, primarily vomitoxin (deoxynivalenol), that contaminate grains. The unauthorised import of Fusarium graminearum strains raises the danger of introducing more aggressive or pesticide-resistant variants, which could exacerbate outbreaks and make control measures less effective. This not only threatens the agricultural economy but also increases the likelihood of toxin contamination entering the food chain, heightening public health risks. This case highlights concerns over agro-terrorism—the deliberate use of pathogens like Fusarium graminearum to undermine a nation's food supply, causing economic damage and potential health crises. The fungus itself doesn't typically infect humans directly. However, its global significance lies in the potent mycotoxins it produces — primarily deoxynivalenol (DON), also known as vomitoxin. These toxins can survive food processing and enter the human food chain, creating potential health hazards when consumed in contaminated grains or grain-based products. Humans are exposed to Fusarium graminearum toxins mainly through: Ingestion of contaminated food (bread, cereal, pasta, beer), inhalation of dust from contaminated grain during farming or processing, and skin contact. The main toxin, deoxynivalenol (DON), affects the gastrointestinal and immune systems. Nausea and vomiting are the first and most common symptom. There could be diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever and headache in some cases. Also, immunotoxicity suppresses the body's ability to fight infections. There is growth retardation especially in children exposed to contaminated diets. Infants and children, people with weakened immune systems, farmers and grain handlers exposed to dust from infected crops, and populations in food-insecure regions with limited food safety enforcement.
